


Second Star to the Right

by dogmatix, norcumi



Series: A Star to Steer By [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Stargate SG-1
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Cultural Differences, Don’t copy to another site, F/M, GFY, Gen, Goa'uld Jedi, M/M, Minor Daniel Jackson/Sha're, era appropriate homophobia, here there be politics, mention of clone/clone pairings, swearing/adult language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:38:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dogmatix/pseuds/dogmatix, https://archiveofourown.org/users/norcumi/pseuds/norcumi
Summary: Ahsoka and Echo remain at Cheyenne Mountain to make friends with the locals, while SG-1 and friends head off to the Republic to get assistance in the fight against the System Lords.It's all smooth sailing from here on out, right?
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555/Anakin Skywalker
Series: A Star to Steer By [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1441522
Comments: 281
Kudos: 1014





	1. Dramatis Personae (and other melodramatic assholes)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An incomplete list of Who's Who, which will be updated as we progress. The Star Wars characters who have different sounding names in English have that name listed in italics after their own.
> 
> For timing purposes, this takes place in Stargate, [Season 3](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/SG-1_Season_3) after episode 304, Legacy.

**Tau’ri folks dealing with the Republic**

SG-1

[ Colonel Jack O’Neill ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Jonathan_J._O%27Neill) \-- lead of SG-1, second in command of the Stargate program

[ Major Sam Carter ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Samantha_Carter) \-- Second in command of SG-1, science and technology expert

[ Teal’c of Chulak ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Teal%27c_of_Chulak) \-- Jaffa and former First Prime (head minion) of the goa’uld Apophis

[ Dr. Daniel Jackson ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Daniel_Jackson) \-- civilian archaeologist and linguist

SG-3

[ Colonel Robert Makepeace ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Robert_Makepeace) \-- lead of SG-3

Lt. Castleman -- by this point an OC, stereotypically late 90’s US military

SG-9

[ Major Stan Kovacek ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Stan_Kovacek) \- lawyer, lead of SG-9

Captain Robin Buckley - linguist/translator, creative thinking, career military 

(OC, based very, very loosely upon [ Robin ](https://www.geekgirlauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Robin-2.jpg) from Stranger Things season 3)

Curtis Benton - black, charming, anthro background, worked at the UN for awhile

(OC, based very, VERY loosely upon Benson DuBois from [ Benson ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benson_\(TV_series\)))

Lt. Tom Winters - rules lawyer, laid back, ‘will call someone’s bluff’ 

(OC, based very, very loosely upon Band of Brothers character Richard Winters)

[ Chief Medical Officer Janet Fraiser ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Janet_Fraiser) \- medic, infamous for The Penlight

[ Selmak ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Selmak) \-- Tok’ra symbiote, known as their “Oldest and Wisest”

[ Jacob Carter ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Jacob_Carter) \-- former Major General, father of Sam Carter, now host to Selmak

**Republic Folks dealing with the Tau’ri on Earth**

Echo -- _Zehrzahk_ \-- [Reference Image](https://dogmatix.tumblr.com/post/187079741198/from-star-to-steer-by-ahsoka-and-echo-in-their)

Ahsoka Tano 

Barrel -- squad leader, head of Ahsoka's protection detail

Tourist

Ringo -- communications expert

Lucky 

Jab -- squad 2 leader

Charger

Trey -- trivia buff

Moon

**Earth Folks dealing with GAR types**

SG-2

[ Major Louis Ferretti ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Louis_Ferretti) \-- SG-2 lead, third in command of SGC

[ Specialist Eliot Spencer ](https://leverage.fandom.com/wiki/Eliot_Spencer) \-- Essentially Eliot from Leverage, though since timelines do NOT align at ALL, this is pre-Leverage, but with the personality we see through the series because that was far more fun for the writers

Sergeant Morgan Bell -- OC, actor reference is [Nicole Beharie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicole_Beharie)

Lieutenant Karen Sands -- OC, actor reference is [Jennifer Carpenter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Carpenter)

[ General George Hammond ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/George_S._Hammond) \-- head of Stargate Command

[ Lantash ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Lantash) \-- Tok’ra symbiote

[ Martouf ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Martouf) \-- human host, Lantash’s host

[ Dr. Brightman ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Brightman) \-- Janet Fraiser’s second in command 

NID types

[ Harold Maybourne ](https://stargate.fandom.com/wiki/Harold_Maybourne) \-- During Jack’s absence, was making a powergrab. Local lead in the National Intelligence Department agents within Stargate Command

  
  


**Republic folks dealing with the incoming delegation**

General Obi-Wan Kenobi -- [reference image 1 ](https://66.media.tumblr.com/8670aad68ae21df362f7f48f1c4c91ff/tumblr_nq1j1mt1al1r4zo2po4_1280.jpg), [reference image 2](https://dogmatix.tumblr.com/post/119688066253/quick-reference-sketch-for-wezwaij-of-obi-wan-from)

Captain Rex -- [reference image](https://dogmatix.tumblr.com/post/115963418473/obi-wan-and-rex-from-a-star-to-steer-by-a)

General Anakin Skywalker -- _Anakin Aianste _

Fives -- _Reyshe'ase _

Yoda

99 -- _Shek’eta-She’cu _

Odd Ball -- _Davijaan_

Murder -- _Praekem_

Commander Cody

R2D2 -- astromech droid, the sassy garbage can on wheels looking one with a flamethrower


	2. Best Foot Forward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Semianonymity for a quick and VERY kind once-over to make sure we hadn't dropped anything important!

Colonel Jack O’Neill was no stranger to achieving firsts.

Member of the first military team to leave Earth via Stargate – and thus one of the first humans in millennia to kill one of the goa’uld “gods” that liked enslaving humanity. First leader of the Stargate team SG-1, which was the first line of defense for Earth, as well as point of first contact with a whole slew of planets and cultures. First idiot to befriend a Jaffa, one of the goa’ulds’ slave warriors.

The last month and change had been a whole amazing bucket of achievements, though. First contact with a group calling itself the Galactic Republic, which had a whole “Order” of goa’uld working for it, instead of the other way around. First idiot to defend a Jedi’s reputation to the rest of SGC, and then first Earthling host to a Jedi.

That’d been – weird. Worse, it hadn’t been an awful experience, not that he was eager to try it again any time soon. Then again, Kenobi probably wouldn’t be too keen on it either.

And now here he was, stuck with his team looking out a spaceship’s front windows, watching an absolutely frikkin’ ginormous battle cruiser type ship loom larger and larger as they headed towards a central trench that looked like it might lead into hangars. They were gonna be the first Earthlings to set foot on one of these babies, and then they were gonna be the first to travel to said Galactic Republic to wine and dine or schmooze or whatever the local politicians.

On the one hand, it was thrilling and terrifying and possibly a one way trip. On the other, this was one of the coolest things he’d done – and that _was_ quite the list.

* * *

Cody eyeballed the assembled troops a little more critically than usual. He wasn’t worried that the troops would disappoint, but given the rather terse messages he’d gotten about the incoming new allies, he wanted the best impression he could muster on such short notice.

It also kept him from worrying about other things. He was still a little stressed from losing his general again, and hadn’t that been a fiasco of new and exciting proportions. Dropping out of hyper to find the last Seppie leader engaged in combat with both a fleet of unknown design as well as Skywalker’s ships; Kenobi leading an assault on said unknown ships once they started shooting at Republic forces, too, only to have them fuck off to parts unknown shortly thereafter, taking Kenobi with them and leaving the Republic forces to finish off Trench; Skywalker having a nice little breakdown over Kenobi “feeling dead in the Force,” prompting him to haul in General _Yoda_ and make a series of blind jumps through hyperspace – it’d been a busy month, even for them.

When Cody was honest with himself, he really did look forward to the day he could trust his general not to faff off into new and exciting messes whenever he was given half a chance. He didn’t think it would ever happen, but everyone had impossible dreams of some sort.

Everything was as in-order as it was going to get. Skywalker obliged by not wasting any time bringing _The Twilight_ into the hanger, the refitted spice freighter landing with more speed than Kenobi would apply.

Skywalker exited first, wound tight in a way that didn’t bode well for all that his face was professionally blank. Then Rex came down the landing ramp, and Cody had to swallow a sudden lump in his throat.

When Rex walked, he had a bit of a swagger, a confidence and flair to his actions that in all truth was warranted. Rex _was_ good. Sure, some of it had rubbed off from exposure to Skywalker – one of the side-effects to flash training and adaptability was that habits transmitted easily, and the implications about him and Kenobi sometimes made him consider taking up drinking.

But the truth of the matter was that Rex was, in fact, that good.

Alpha 17, on the other hand, had an aggressive strut. 17 was a man who owned his decisions and actions, preferred blunt over kind and explosives over either. That didn’t mean he couldn’t be clever or subtle, just that he preferred not to waste time.

Kenobi had never showed any of that, presenting as layers of refinement and diplomacy that covered the fact that he was bat-shit crazy and a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Gods alone knew how Jinn had managed to teach him as a youngling to keep it all under wraps – maybe by pointing out what a grand _joke_ it could all be – but Cody’s general had his own distinct walk; Jedi-smooth, deceptively serene.

That was how Rex walked down _The Twilight’s_ ramp. Even though Cody expected it, it _hurt_ when Rex met his eyes, and they weren’t the standard brown many brothers had but instead were Kenobi’s blue. Cody saluted, falling back on formalities to avoid his emotions, like he always did.

“General. Glad you made it out of that mess.”

He got a wry grin for that. “Good to see you too, Commander.” Then his eyes went brown, and Rex’s expression became a more commiserating look.

They didn’t need to say a word, not after being friends and working together this many years. Rex reached out and gripped Cody’s shoulder, a silent apology for only being able to save one commanding officer. Cody caught his wrist for a moment, then they both straightened.

“So, those rumors about pathetic life-forms following you home again true?”

“Yes, though several speak Basic,” Kenobi retorted, the wry tone making for a polite request to play nice.

Cody nodded as General Yoda led a batch of humans down the ramp, all of them gawking around like well-armed tourists. Three main groups, with two outliers. The slowest group was a cluster at the back, gawping more than the others while trying hard to look composed. Middle group all presented as male, in a defensive formation that wasn’t helped by the fact that they all looked twitchy as hell.

The two outliers were next, a tiny woman and an older man with some strange jeweled handwear. The front group moved as a unit, led by a gray-haired man with an easy smile that covered a quiet awe. Blonde woman on his right kept staring at various ships and droids in a way that left him resigned to stumbling over her in the hanger in the near future, probably hassling all the techs, because Cody knew that look. Man on the left was big, brawny, moving like he came from a warrior culture that never stopped fighting. Loping along behind them, in a protected position, was a skittish looking man with some kind of primitive HUD – looked less like a fighter than most of his compatriots, but the way he moved, the way he _watched_ everything – Cody was willing to wager this one was dangerous, not just in the sense of being capable in a fight.

Interesting group. He approved.

* * *

Selmak could not stop _staring_. She wasn’t really used to crowds anymore – the busy confines of Stargate Command had been the largest non-Tok’ra get-together she’d been to in centuries – but _this_ – this was mind blowing. Even the first sight had been impressive – four of the gigantic cruisers floated in loose formation, each easily the size of a ha’tak. It was more military hardware than the Tok’ra had ever been able to front – they had spies on goa’uld cruisers, not cruisers of their own. She’d taken a shaky, bracing breath as she’d watched their little ship come into a hanger, slipping through a force field and landing smoothly. She’d kept a firm grip on her control of the body as they disembarked, although Jacob never fought her for it. Still, it made her feel more composed.

Kenobi and the other Jedi didn’t seem to find anything remarkable about the ranks of uniformed and armored beings before them, nor the multitude of ships lined up behind that greeting party. The ships were different from their ride and more military-looking, all facing the exit and ready to launch, though there were lots more set aside and undergoing maintenance.

#_They’re ready to go – war footing,_# Jacob murmured, trying to recenter her though the rising press of _too much_. It was a nice gesture, but it didn’t help much. All these people knew of goa’uld – Jedi, whatever name you’d like – and they didn’t _fear_. On the contrary, the way the ranks of soldiers that were lined up to greet them looked to Kenobi and Aianste was friendly, respectful – she might also say affectionate. Certainly relieved to see them returned. Not a one of them was a host, not as far as Selmak could tell, but she’d be willing to place good money that most of them would be willing to host in an emergency. It was like ‘gating from a desert into the middle of a river – she was surrounded by the kind of bounty that the Tok’ra would sacrifice several of their own members to have access to.

The overwhelming nature of the greeting wasn’t helped by the presence of other individuals in the crowd. Aliens. Actual _aliens_ of species that she didn’t recognize, beings that were foreign enough it shook her. There, in the assembled formation, left of center and three rows back there was a purple skinned woman with sharp teeth and, instead of hair, two long tendrils at the back of her skull. She wore the same blue-accented white and black armor as many of the others, but the helmet tucked at her elbow had modifications for those...tentacles? Over there, off to the side in the bright orange vest and ear protection that indicated vehicle maintenance crew was a green, lightly scaled being with a mohawk of fleshy tendrils and a snout, casual as they jostled with clones in similar gear. That being there, in the trim gray uniform – humanoid, but from the neck up it was a strange, almost slug-shaped head with an opening on each side – a _mouth?_ Mouths? – and it was speaking to a man who had no eyes, looked as if he had _never_ had them.

Selmak had traveled a decent swath of the stargate system, been to enough planets that she’d lost count, but she had not seen this kind of diversity in one place before.

It was all too new, too different, too _much_.

#_Steeeady_,# Jacob said, nudging her away from actual panic. She followed his lead, dipping her head down enough to relinquish control, because otherwise it was _far_ too tempting to just step back into their transport and create some reason she had to return, _now_.

There was no stargate here, nor where they were going, but it was more than that. She hadn’t had this problem with Earth, because she had access to Jacob’s memories, and Earth was familiar to him, and so it felt familiar to her, too. Neither she nor Jacob had any experience with this Galactic Republic, and to someone for whom ‘new’ often meant ‘dangerous,’ it left her feeling small and exposed, adrift in an uncaring sea.

Sam, of all people, noticed something was amiss. She dropped back a pace or two, leaning in close. “Dad? You ok?”

Jacob could fake a smile far better than she, given the circumstances. “Yeah, just – are you seeing this? _Alien_ aliens.”

Sam grinned at him, apparently riding the high of adventure. “Says the guy sharing headspace with a Tok’ra.”

“Well, yeah, but we don’t have _tentacles_.”

Selmak had never before been so damn grateful for pleasant formalities as they reached the man in yellow-accented armor with an extensive scar along the left side of his face. He nodded to them all, and Kenobi introduced them to his second in command.

* * *

_Bweedle blaaat!_ Artoo was kind enough to both wait until Obi-Wan’s introductions were done and to not run over Anakin’s toes while trundling up to thwack against the Jedi’s shin, which meant he wasn’t _too_ grumpy about being left behind.

“Artoo! What- No, I told you it wasn’t dangerous- Yes- “ Anakin placated his astromech to the bemused stares of the newcomers, and the hidden grins of his own troops – so much for loyalty. Frankly, Anakin was glad of the distraction after being cooped up with the weird, Dark Jedi larva riding along in one of their new ‘allies’ all the way back to the Resolute.

Artoo gave a grudgingly-satisfied _boop_, and Anakin patted him on his dome. He understood not wanting to be left behind.

“We should be ready to get underway shortly,” Obi-Wan said, redirecting the newcomers’ attention away from their antics. “If you’d like to stow your gear before that, I can have someone show you to your quarters….” He threw an inquiring glance at Cody.

Cody nodded. “I took the liberty of having all four of the ambassadorial suites prepped – two of them should fit sixteen people, but if sleeping arrangements require more space, Lt. Murder can show you where the other two are.” 

The leader of SG-1, Jack, eyed the clone in question. “‘Murder?’” he asked in a slightly disbelieving but also intrigued tone of voice. Anakin couldn’t help but grin – he might not know how the hells he felt about the larvae situation, but Jack O’Neill was starting to grow on him. 

“It’s not as impressive as it sounds, sir,” Murder said with a resigned tone. 

“Head to the bridge, we will, and meet you there,” Yoda said.

“If you’ll follow me, please?” Murder asked, gesturing to a corridor.

Anakin saw Obi-Wan take a step closer to Jack and ask him something, but Jack gave him a lopsided grin and a sloppy salute, along with a comment Anakin wasn’t close enough to make out.

Obi-Wan shook his head and muttered something in return, grinning. It was the real smile, not the fake, polite one that most politicians saw. Huh, Obi-Wan really did like the guy. Anakin side-eyed Teal’c as he joined the group being led off to the rooms. Obi-Wan was usually a pretty good judge of character, but....

_#Just because Obi-Wan likes Jack, doesn’t mean he agrees with what’s happening to the larvae. You heard about The Window Incident,# _ Fives reminded him.

That...was true. Still, he’d be glad to be home again, where things made sense. 

* * *

Kovacek had known what he was signing up for, but the reality always hit you a bit sideways. He stood with the rest of SG-9 shuffling awkwardly behind him, looking around at the ‘ambassadorial suite’ that would be home for the next few weeks as they traveled the galaxy. 

They’d dumped their gear by the door and been given the 5 cent tour by Lt. Praekem, with O’Neill translating since neither side knew the other’s language – and that was a problem Kovacek intended to fix as soon as possible, partly by throwing Buckly into it headfirst. After that they’d been left to their own devices to sort out sleeping arrangements. Presumably O’Neil or Lt. Praekem (O’Neil swore that meant ‘Murder,’ and he’d insisted he wasn’t making up the poor man’s name) would be back to fetch them shortly.

It was fancy, Kovacek noted, but it was an understated kind of fancy. Not typical goa’uld M.O. No tapestries on the walls, or golden walls, for that matter. The chairs and beds were comfortable and soft enough not to kill anyone’s back, the bathroom had almost enough space to swing a cat in, and the tiny kitchenette had a space-microwave and several packs of space-MRE’s in different flavour combos. Their guide had given them basic instructions for both kitchen and bathroom. 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Kovacek said, shaking them out of their uncertainty. “Fall out.”

“Sir, yes, sir,” Buckley muttered with her typical casual insolence. Kovacek knew the excrement was hitting the rotating oscillator when she _wasn’t_ taking a bit of attitude. She was the youngest one in SG 9, with a quick ear for languages, and an irreverent streak a mile wide. She was also a quick thinker under pressure with nerves of steel, if she did say so herself.

Winters, the tall redhead of the group, nodded and went to fetch his kit. He tended to listen more than talk, but what he had to say was usually relevant. That, and he was their muscle. Not that any of them were slouches when it came to combat, but Winters was, as Buckley said, their ‘Tank.’

“Well, it’s not the Ritz, but I guess it’ll do,” Benton joked as he wandered over to the window. He was their people person, good at making friends and defusing tense situations, and he’d pulled Kovacek’s ass out of the fire more than once. “And man, look at that _view_.”

Buckley let out a low whistle as she joined Benton, peering out the window at Saturn’s rings just visible to the right. “Okay, I’m not gonna lie, that’s still hella impressive,” she said.

Kovacek eyed the rings, trying to correlate the view with the ship’s orientation. “Where do you think we are on the ship?” They’d taken an elevator, which meant they were higher than the bays where they’d docked, he thought. Unless gravity was an illusion, which it might well be, given that out here, it was artificial.

“Tough to say without being able to stick my head out the window,” Buckley said, peering up and down as best she could.

“Not seeing the front, and those look like the thrusters, so, we’re at the back?” Benton speculated.

“Bit of a drop to the thrusters. Maybe halfway up.” Buckley did a head-waggle.

Kovacek joined them at the window. “Good estimate, and a decent location,” he concurred with them. It looked like their suite was somewhere in the middle of the tower structure at the broad rear of the ship. Probably near the control area but not _too_ close in case shit went down. A legitimately nice area.

Buckley gave Saturn a last look before wandering over to the sleeping quarters. They hadn’t seen the rank-and-file crew quarters, which were probably more cramped, if Earth’s sociological rules held true, but these were fairly spacious for a ship that was obviously a working war-ship, where space was at a premium.

“Dibs on the top bunk,” Benton called after her.

“Ha, you wish!” she called back.

Kovacek held back an eyeroll. The beds in the ambassadorial suites were set into the walls, probably in case of gravity loss or other emergencies, but they were hardly bunk beds. 

He shouldered his bag and retreated to the other bedroom. Winters had already stowed his kit and they exchanged nods in passing. Kovacek quickly stored his own kit before investigating the room more closely. Mostly it was curiosity, partly it was practicality in case of an emergency.

He kept an eye on his watch, so as not to lose track of time, and soon he wandered back into the main area.

“Buckley, ready to go?” Kovacek called.

She popped her head out of the bathroom. “Hey, don’t look at me – I’ve been ready to go for the last three minutes. Winters is the one dragging his heels.”

“Mm,” Winters commented from the window, laconic as usual, but he was amused, Kovacek could tell. 

Something chimed, and a panel by the door lit up. Huhn. Warships in space had doorbells. You learned something new every day.

* * *

Jack tamped down the urge to bounce on the balls of his feet. He really should be at least a little less manic, but man, the urge was there. He was on the bridge of one of the huge Republic cruisers, the stretched room laid out before him with the kind of economical utility that seemed to reflect the Republic’s general military aesthetic. A central catwalk lay between two sunken areas lined with panels, instruments, and about a dozen people manning them. At the front of the bridge, by windows, were more instruments, also with a couple of technicians parked here or there, or wandering from one to the other.

He’d kind of expected something more...impersonal? Streamlined? Computerized? On the other hand, this was a huge damn ship, and having a human – so to speak – eye on the systems wasn’t a bad idea.

That was the other thing. Not all of the crew were clones. The one...hammer-head...slug guy with the grey uniform he’d seen in the hanger was in the left pit, and there was a human lady in the right one, if the red hair in a tight braid was anything to go by. The captain, a serious man named Yularen, was human too. In fact, he gave off a real Old Military vibe that made Jack think of some boat captains he’d met (and subtly razzed) in his day.

The overall effect was both extremely alien, and comfortingly familiar. Heck, just the fact that there were multiple species cooperating said something - the Tok’ra, the Asgard, the Nox, the Tollans – they all kept to themselves, insular after centuries or millennia of being hunted by the Goa’uld. This was...not that.

Then there was Yularen. Not a clone, unless ship captains were their own strain of clone, but nothing Jack was picking up pointed that way. Just a regular human dude, working side-by-side with clones, Jedi, a scattering of alien races….

“Okay, what’re you planning?” Daniel asked, exasperation and wariness in his tone.

“Who, me?” Jack asked on instinct. 

“I know that expression,” Daniel elaborated, giving him a pointed look.

Jack waved it away. “No explosions, scout’s honor.” He looked around the bridge. “Just getting a good eyeful of our new allies.”

“Yeah...I guess. Pretty impressive,” Daniel said. Jack didn’t know what was still causing Daniel to play things that close to his chest, but he could get his friend drunk on space-booze later.

Jack leaned in, grin widening, “You’re telling me you’re not at least a little hyped that the future is _Star Trek_?”

There was a soft ‘pssht’ sound of the door opening behind them, and Kovacek led SG-9 onto the bridge, Murder bringing up the rear. 

“Welcome to the _Resolute’s_ bridge, Major Kovacek. I believe that’s everyone?” Obi-Wan asked, looking around.

“Yup,” Jack said. “We’re good to go when you are.”

Obi-Wan turned to Yularen. =Whenever you’re ready, Admiral.=

Yularen nodded, then called out a few orders, and there was a short lag as those orders got relayed to the other three ships. Jack had been on ha’taks before, while they were moving, even, but it was one hell of a difference to be a guest on allied ships. He couldn’t stop grinning, and even elbowed Daniel a bit as the other two ships seemed to gather themselves, then shot forward in the blink of an eye, followed by the ship they were on, as stars streaked into blue lines, smearing until they were surrounded by an abstract of blue and white and black that hurtled past them to the tune of lightyears per second.

* * *

Ahsoka felt strange, walking into an unfamiliar mess hall with a full squad at her back. Barrel had wanted to send _both_ squads, but she and Echo had managed to convince him that the first full meal didn’t need that much of an escort. Having the other squad come in after a decent interval would be better for everyone’s nerves. 

#_Being the new guy in the mess always sucks,_# Echo muttered, and she had to agree. 

“Would you like some assistance?” a voice asked from their left, the Tok’ra representative standing near a stack of trays. Lantash – or Martouf – Force, but it was frustrating how she couldn’t tell if it was the host talking to her or not – was a bundle of confusing emotions in the Force, even more than the quiet fear-distrust-curiosity radiating from the locals. 

Ahsoka steeled herself, then walked as casually as she could over to the stack of trays. “On the one hand, I’d like to say that I can handle breakfast. On the other, I wouldn’t mind some advice about the local food products.”

“Pleeeease, not ration bars,” Lucky muttered as he picked up his own tray, and Ahsoka politely ignored the way Ringo smacked him on the shoulder. He lived up to his name yet again, though: not a ration bar in sight. There was an interesting spread of food, the most recognizable being the fruits like they’d had at the informal dinner, and something that at least smelled like meat.

“Are those...eggs?” Ahsoka asked, eying the fluffy mass.

“Yes. You don’t eat eggs where you’re from?” Lantash-and-Martouf asked.

“Oh, no, we do, but these are very...yellow.”

Lantash-and-Martouf’s eyebrows rose, and they fell into a discussion regarding eggs and what laid them, with Lucky adding some more esoteric examples.

When they had reasonably full trays, Ahsoka turned to lead the way to an empty table, only to be flagged down by Major Ferretti. Lantash-and-Martouf trailed along, and SG-2 made room for all of them to sit at the same table. 

Ahsoka let Echo take over conversation, since there still seemed to be some..._hesitance_ over the whole ridiculous gender thing. It certainly made Lieutenant Sands more comfortable. That woman was interesting; not quite knowing how to make conversation but trying anyways, attempting to have a chat with Tourist about foods, with Lantash-and-Martouf translating between them. Sergeant Bell was quiet – probably the sort of person who needed enough stimulants to function, given the description of ‘coffee’ she was drinking. Spencer – she hadn’t caught the man’s rank – and Major Ferretti kept up a casual flow of words that allowed her to study the rest of the mess hall while Echo kept talking. 

Most of the personnel had taken a bit of time to stare before turning back to their own food. There was the lingering feel of suspicion and caution-verging-on-fear in the Force, but nothing that would presage..._unwise_ activities. There was however one small table off to the side with several soldiers at it, who kept muttering amongst themselves while shooting covert glances at Ahsoka and her men. 

There was something _off_ about them, not hostility but not curiosity, and it _itched_ at the back of her neck. 

“They’re NID,” Spencer muttered, leaning a hair closer while pointing at the bowl of grains on Echo’s tray. “Probably still pissy about how your arrival took them down a peg. Internal politics, that’s all.”

Bell snorted into her mug. “It’s a very distinctive sulk?” she asked, earning a glare from Spencer and a cackle from Sands. Ferretti just rolled his eyes, so it had to be some kind of inside team joke.

Spencer pointed at Bell. “Keep it up, and we’re gonna have to go a few rounds.”

Ahsoka didn’t think before speaking. “So there are sparring facilities available?” That earned her some startled looks, but Spencer lit up.

“Those are swords, right?” he asked, pointing at her lightsabers. “Or was O’Neill pulling our legs?”

“They are. I didn’t think you used swords much here?” She was pretty sure they didn’t at all; she had little vocabulary from Colonel O’Neill regarding swords, but a wide range for firearms. 

“Weapons specialist. I try to know how to use everything.”

“Then would you be willing to spar? It’s been awhile since we had a friendly bout with someone with unfamiliar skills.”

“I wouldn’t want to be rude to our new friends.”

Ooh, it was gonna be like that, huh? Ahsoka smiled without showing too many teeth, Echo adding a bit of edge because he’d been through too much posturing and rearrangements of various pecking orders. It might be a normal part of military life, but sweet stars it was annoying. “Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll all play nice.”

Spencer grinned back, showing just as many teeth. “Do you want to wait, or–?”

“No, now is fine.” Ahsoka was well aware of the eager whispers kicking up as SG-2 bounced to their feet. 

#_Locals think we’re being hustled,_# Echo thought in amusement. #_Hope he’s as good as they think he is._#

She sent agreement, also keenly aware of how the soldiers labeled as NID kept watching her, still with that same wary sensation but none of the excitement everyone else in the commissary had. 

That was going to be trouble.


End file.
